Green chile hominy casserole with chorizo

My grandma thinks I am incapable of making any recipe without chile peppers. And she finds this very amusing. Take our conversation about hominy casserole the other day. As she was telling me her recipe she paused and then said while laughing, “Say, I have an idea. Do you have any chile peppers? I bet that would make this recipe even better!”

Well, it’s no secret that I love chile peppers. So much that I’m pretty certain my grandma’s theory is true. But, hey, I’m a Texan, what can I say?

But back to this hominy casserole—when I was at my grandma’s house in July, she had provided me with a fat file of recipes she’s collected over the years. There were a bunch of gems and some strange ones as well. I will definitely be making her batch of apricot bread but Aunt Margaret’s meat concern casserole sort of gives me pause. No matter, I love recipes and made a ton of copies to bring back to New York. But I forgot to copy one I was very interested in cooking—grandma’s hominy casserole.

Hominy casserole, which at it’s most basic is simply a mixture of hominy with sour cream and cheddar cheese, is an old-fashioned Southern side dish you don’t see that often anymore. Grandma made hers often in the 50’s and 60’s as it was both hearty and a great portable dish to bring to potlucks. But when I asked her why she stopped making it she admitted that she’s not the biggest fan in the world of hominy. Hominy, which is corn that’s been treated with the mineral lime, is the foundation for both grits and masa, making this grain both distinctly Southern and Southwestern. It has a chewy soft texture and a toasted nutty flavor, a combination that can be unusual but one I find strangely addictive.

Grandma’s hominy casserole is the classic rendition of the dish, though she also shared with me one that was a bit more gussied up with olives and pimentos. For my version of hominy casserole I decided to do a bit of a hybrid, adding roasted poblano chiles, jalapeños, cilantro and garlic to the standard sour cream and cheese base. I also threw in some chorizo, which elevates this casserole to a main dish if you like, though it can work quite well as a decadent side dish, too.

The best thing about this creamy casserole, however, is that it’s a snap to make and a one-skillet dish, which makes it perfect for a quick weeknight supper. Though I find it extravagant enough that you could also share it with company and I guarantee they wouldn’t complain.

Instructions

Roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tight and let the chile steam for 20 minutes. Take the chile out of the bag and rub off the skin. Remove stem and seeds and cut dice chiles.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

On medium-low heat, heat the vegetable oil and then cook the crumbled chorizo while occasionally stirring in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet until brown, about 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spatula, remove the chorizo and drain any excess grease from the skillet, leaving 1 teaspoon. Add to the skillet the diced onions and jalapeños while occasionally stirring, cook on medium-low heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the diced poblano chiles, chorizo, hominy, sour cream, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, lime juice and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until well combined, taste and add salt and black pepper and adjust seasonings. Top with remaining the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

I will confess to not being fond of kernel corn on, or off, the cob (which is a mortal sin if your dad is from Iowa, as mine is), but I've yet to meet a form of processed corn I don't like: Corn meal, masa, hominy, grits, Fritos, cornbread, tortillas, polenta . . . you name it, I'll eat it.

Lisa, I'm going to have to agree with your grandmother on your love of cooking with chiles! I've never had hominy but maybe this is something I need to correct. I'm going to remember this next time I need a dish to take.

I can hardly wait to hear what you found in the file of old recipes! I know there'll be some good stories.

My mom used to make something that I remember only as having hominy, onions, chiles, melted cheese. This was pre-microwave, so it was definitely a baked dish. I loved that growing up, so this sounds wonderful to me.

I LOVE hominy! I think it's a little addicting, too. It has a sort of buttery taste that goes so well with any sort of Mexican food. We eat it in our home often. I'm sure my husband would absolutely love this recipe…I'm bookmarking it! –

OMG! another perfect comfort food recipe with chiles and chorizo. But I can't agree with the number of suggested servings – I want to keep it all for myself, one big single serving, and lotsa leftovers to reheat when no one else is around.

hi lisa, got inspired from your blog. I've been meaning to try hominy for ages. I've found a recipe for a stew using hominy, black-eyed peas and ham. Do you only use canned hominy? I've seen dried hominy (on the net, not in Australia) and it seems to take a bit of preparation!Anyway, I bought my can of hominy and my black-eyed peas at lunchtime, so going to cook up a storm at the weekend.

The only way I had eaten hominy was boiled with butter, salt and a lot of black pepper. Now my better half will only eat it fried. New to me. Drain all water, put in skillet and cook until dry and starts to stick to pan.

I love your "chewy and toasted nutty" description of Hominy. I too find it addictive. Thanks so much for this recipe. I've started planning a Sunday football party menu. I do believe this will go great with my Chipotle sliders.

Hi Lisa! You mention in your article that your Grandmother served it as a side dish. What would she serve with it? Just any grilled meat? Curious! We LOVE hominy at our house…mostly in pozole, but have always wanted to try it in other forms. We will see if the huzband will go for it! Your advice on what to serve it with would be great…for me, personally, I am thinking, this and just a warm corn tortilla…yum!Thanks! A

I have inherited my dad's love for hominy. No one else in my family is that crazy about it though. This recipe sounds so good, think I will try it over the weekend. You sure come up with some dandies.I have my mom's recipe file and some of them are pretty old. I have her old cookbooks too which I dearly treasure. She made little notations on certain recipes that Clint (my dad) liked. On one pecan pie recipe she wrote: "clint liked this one, not so sweet" She always said she could make anything sweet and tell him it was cobbler and he would like it.LOL

I was born and raised in California but came to Texas 35 years ago. The two foods that I always considered to be quintessentially southern are grits and hominy. I went for over 25 years living here without touching either one, thinking they had to be bad, just look at what they are called! Then, I had a bowl of posole and was bowled over by the hominy! Who knew it was just about the best thing since sliced bread? It wasn't until about 4 years ago that I tried grits, specifically Jon Bonnell's Roasted Green Chili Cheese Grits…to die for (and he will give you the recipe)! Can't get the hang of the chorizo, though. Do you have any suggestions for another type of sausage to go with this?

I know, I've already commented on this post, but this dish has been in my mind all morning, ever since midnight. I can almost taste it's peppy, spicy yet mellow flavor. So now it can't wait until the weekend. I'll pick up some cilantro on the way home and it's on the menu tonight (and I'll be kind and share with my husband!) Corn, chiles, cheese and chorizo – oh my.

Did you use Spanish or Mexican chorizo? I'm inclined to think Mexican because I'm from Houston and that's what you see everywhere, but the one in my fridge is really soft so I'm not sure how you would crumble that…?

We made hominy when I was a kid growing up in North Louisiana. My mother and grandmother, my little sister and me. We had a huge cast iron cauldron. Lots of wood ashes involved. Great stuff. Love hominy.-Lisa

I made this last night and it was amazing! Husband proclaimed it "a perfect food" since it contained his beloved hominy, chiles, sour cream…well, you get the idea. He's even asked me to make it for holiday dinners this year. Super easy and super tasty! Thanks for the recipe-

I'm a native Texan just discovering this wonderful blog. But I must say — aren't grits and hominy quintessentially UN-Texan foods? I remember growing up in San Antonio and then later Dallas, and correcting Yankee friends and family who (I thought) incorrectly assumed that Texans were bigtime hominy/grit eaters. Am I wrong?

@Anonymous – I remarked that hominy and grits are quintessentially SOUTHERN, not Texan. But…I do have to say that from the day that I moved to Fort Worth I have seen grits on breakfast menus all over the area, including Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, etc. so I would have to say, yes, grits are quintessentially Texan. My first experience with hominy was in New Mexico, but I think it is still considered a Southern food, maybe not a Texan food per se, but yes, Southern.

I fell in love with hominy after tasting a dish of posole at a Mexican friend's house. Never had it since, but longed for it. Then of course grits were an experience i had in Vicksburg, Mississipi and I loved them with cheese and a few slices of bacon on the side.

Anon–Texas is a big state and while grits and hominy may not be identified with Texas as much as say, chicken-fried steak, barbecue and the Tex-Mex combo plate, I do consider grits and hominy foods that Texans eat.

I stumbled upon this recipe last week and decided to make it for brunch on Sunday. To make it a brunch-like main dish, I simply pulled the skillet out of the oven after 12-13 minutes, made six little indents, cracked eggs into the indents, and stuck it back in the oven for the remaining time. Was super easy and apparently tasty since there wasn't a morsel left. Thanks for the inspiration!

I actually just tried hominy a couple years ago – I love that it kind of absorbs any flavor that's with it.

I recently made a green chile sauce for breakfast burritos using poblano peppers.

I can handle the heat (in fact, my husband accuses me of already burning off all my taste buds at this point!) and was surprised when I tried this sauce that it was WAY too spicy! I ended up having to add buttermilk to the sauce to tone it down – can you suggest a more mild chile to use?

I finally got around to making this and was not disappointed ; it was fantastic ! My version looked a little different(more cumin,possibly another type of cayenne made it browner) but it tasted great ! There were no leftovers , and I was asked for the recipe. Thanks , Lisa !

Like so many, I spent a lot of time thinking about this recipe after first seeing it. Finally made it last night for hard core Tex-Mex and hominy lovers. Very enthusiastically received! The only additions were some leftover mixed shredded pork and refrieds in the filling, and on top, some crumbled leftover fried tortillas, processed with the topping cheese to add a little texture and add some eye appeal. All this southern food loving German born boy can say is "ausgezeichnet!"

Made a delicious version sans chorizo as I'm vegetarian. thanks for the recipe. Everything I make from this blog turns out perfectly. I can't wait for the cookbook!Tommy, if you happen to read this you can find cans of hominy at La Tortilleria on Dufferin near Bloor (along with incredible fresh corn tortillas and a huge selection of dried chiles among other things) . They have another location in Kensington Market, but I'm not sure if that one stocks as many groceries

One of my favorite side dishes ever! I have made it several times for parties and I always get compliments on how good this is. Even my mexican mother in law thinks this is great and shes hard to please! Thanks for this recipe!

LOVED the hominy casserole and will definitely make it again and again. BUT no way did I find it "quick"! Probably that's because I'm old now, and everything takes me at least three times longer than it used to. Preparing that many (14) ingredients and doing all the stove top cooking as directed took almost an hour and a half, NOT including the oven time! However, the end result more than justified the time spent. Unlike your grandma, I am a huge fan of hominy — both the texture and the flavor, and this is the best dish of its type I've ever had!

I made this casserole today for a small dock party here in Mazatlán. It went over really well. It was delicious. Had that good, "comfort food" quality that is ubiquitous to Tex-Mex food. I had to substitute white Chihuahua cheese for the cheddar as cheddar is nearly impossible to find down here but the local cheese worked just fine. Thanks so much. Can't wait to try out a bunch more recipes.

This dish would be pretty hard to make not taste good. LOL I think I'm dyslexic with new recipes and I forgot all about the chilies. Plus I was trying to halve it, but didn't halve the chorizo and it was still great! 🙂 I also thought about eggs going good with it, but love SunmmerEllen's idea. Some warm flour tortillas would also go great!

Wow! So many great comments on this one. Not sure if anyone mentioned using soy chorizo for the vegetarians but even though I am not vegetarian, I really enjoy Trader Joe's soy chorizo. I was looking for a hominy and chorizo recipe using eggs, which I have made in the past and really enjoyed. But this one sounds wonderful. What if I added eggs and made it into a breakfast casserole?

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